Wandering in Darkness
by Cho Koume
Summary: Subaru is battling an enemy in his mind. All that he's been through may finally make him crack. Now he's out in the dark city lost in his own dilusions. Will Seisshiro find him before he loses more? My first Tokyo Babylon fic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own this series- Tokyo Babylon- but it's still good anyway, right? XD For the record, this is my first T.B. fic, so go easy on me, all right? ; Thanks!

Wandering in darkness

Subaru wasn't sure what had happened. Up until a few minutes ago, he was on a tall bridge-like structure in a building, faced with an enemy who wished him dead, but now, he was only surrounded by darkness. He looked around, warily at first, but no matter where he looked, there was only darkness. It was deathly silent all around him, sending shivers of anxiety down his spine. What was happening? Where was his enemy? Where was HE?

Suddenly, out of the darkness, an image appeared before his eyes. It was his enemy, Mr. Nagumo, but not in the place where he had left him. No, it was inside the building. He was standing by the window, looking out over the city. No, no, no… Subaru didn't understand. None of it made sense, like the fact that Nagumo still had both of his arms. When Subaru burst inside, fearing the effects of a curse, one of the man's arms was most definitely missing! No, no… what was this?

Suddenly, all the lights went out, and Nagumo was starting to look spooked. Subaru yelled for him to run, to get away from there, but Nagumo couldn't hear him. Was he… could it be that Subaru was seeing what had happened just before his arrival? Maybe there was a chance Subaru could stop it from happening, he thought, and he tried to run to the older man. He was stopped. All of a sudden his feet felt heavy as stone, and when he looked down, he saw dark shadows. They started at his feet, almost gluing them to the floor, and then they started winding up his body. Subaru chanted spells and struggled, but the shadows would not release him.

Looking up, he saw the horror as Kuni's enraged spirit entered the room and wound itself around Nagumo just like the shadows were around him. What was happening to that man was also happening to Subaru, and he feared what would happen. Kuni and the shadows made their way up to their torsos and in an instant, Subaru found himself yelling. It felt like his arm was being pulled right out of its socket! He could feel the skin and tissue stretching and tearing apart, and he begged someone to help him, but nobody came. The darkness was consuming him, and he was alone…

"Hokuto… S-Seisshiro… somebody help me!!"

His arm came loose of its socket as the skin and muscle tears around it, and with a sickening pop, Subaru screams.

--

Hokuto cringed as her brother yelled out. He acted like he was in terrible pain, but why? She sighed and dabbed a cold cloth on her brother's face, hoping that he would calm down and sleep more soundly. He'd been down with fever for three days, and not once did he awake for more than a few minutes. Hokuto had never seen her brother in such a tormented state, and felt so powerless at his side. She sighed again, at least grateful that the cold compress was calming him down again.

"Oh, brother… You make me worry so much."

A few minutes passed on in semi-silence before the young girl heard the front door softly open and close. Moments later, she heard a voice, and Seisshiro's head popped into the room.

"Seisshiro…"

"Hello, Hokuto. How is he doing?" The girl's head went down.

"He's still very weak, and he's been thrashing around a lot, too."

"Oh, I see…"

Acting like the doctor he was, the much taller man entered the room and stood at the edge of the bed, overlooking the frail-looking boy. Kneeling down to his level, Seisshiro set his hand on Subaru's forehead and frowned.

"Is it bad?"

"His fever is still very high, and his face is strained… That must be one bad dream he's having now."

"Oh…"

Seisshiro threw a sympathetic look over to the girl and softly patted her head before standing. It confused Hokuto when he then he then held out his hand for her.

"Come on, now… I've brought us some dinner."

"But, I can't just leave him here all by himself! He needs me!"

Seisshiro smiled at her, but took her hand and helped her to her feet, anyway.

"You need some time to relax, too, you know… Subaru is asleep now, so a few minutes couldn't hurt."

"Well…" She looked back at her brother once more, before finally agreeing. She did need a break. The two of them then left, and Subaru's nightmare continued. He didn't have anyone there to protect him, anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

His arm was hurting… it was burning and aching. The air was thick with an unhealthy smell, and poor sick Subaru could not longer ignore it in his half-sleep. His eyes twitched and opened only a bit, revealing a small and dark room.

"Stuffy…"

His hazy mind couldn't exactly recall where he had been or how he'd gotten back to his room, but he did know that he wanted the window open to get some fresh air. But his body wasn't as ready to sit upright as he thought, and as he did, his stomach did a flip. He leaned forward quickly and grasped his churning stomach, trying to will it to relax, but that only made his almost non-existent headache more noticeable. So in other words, he felt completely miserable! After what felt like a half-hour, his stomach mellowed and he was able to sit somewhat upright again. His pounding room made it seem like the room was spinning in circles, and he was swaying, too. As he looked about the turning room, his eyes fell to the bedside desk, where a glass of water and three pills were sitting.

Three? Was he supposed to take them all at once? He couldn't think clearly. All he understood was that he was in pain and so he weakly grasped the glass and popped all the pills into his mouth at once. Though they were supposed to help him, they only made his stomach do another flip, and so he curled up against his knees again to gently rock back and forth.

'Why am I alone…? Where is everyone? Hokuto…? Seisshiro…? …Somebody…'

He kept calling out very softly, but there were never any replies. It was then that he remembered a bit of what had happened. He was on a case… investigating a curse. There was a girl and a dog… He gasped. He remembered! That case had just been solved, hadn't it? But then, what day was it…? How did he end up back…? He had to pause, as another image came to him. …He was in pain. He remember being in terrible pain…

He hung his head, leaning on his arm against his forehead. Was it just a nightmare he'd had? Never before had he experienced such a vivid dream before, he mused. He'd seen what happened even before his arrival… but why? That wasn't a typical skill! He shook his head as softly as he could, but the sudden movement made him realize the pain on his left side. Why had he not noticed it until then? It… was excruciating! Firmly, he reached over and held onto his left arm, but when he turned his eyes to look, his eyes went wide as saucers. Shadows from the darkened room were starting to gather around his forearm, and as it wound its way up almost to the shoulder, it seemed to squeeze. Subaru suppressed a yell, but fear was clouding his mind.

Subaru feared that his dream was coming true, and so he tried to pry the shadows away from his arm. But it was in vain, as his hands were only swiping at the air, and his bare arm; this only caused another wave of pain to flow through him. This time, he yelled, and in an attempt to rid himself of the flesh-eating shadows, he rolled out of bed and onto the floor. But still, no matter how hard he scratched, the shadows held on tight. He managed to get back to his feet, and walked over to the window, backing up against the tall swinging panes. The shadows were spreading, trying to seal his feet to the floor, and he tried to back up away from them. But he wasn't being careful, and he tripped backward, falling against the window. It shattered, and pain overtook his left arm again as his room drifted away from him.

Hokuto and Seisshiro ate their dinner slowly and talked very little. Hokuto was obviously still worried about her brother, but Seisshiro was on a mission to make her feel more relaxed. So, he hugged her tightly and comforted her. Soft music had been playing on the radio, and neither of them had expected to fall asleep. All was quiet and calm, and Hokuto was obviously content in the older man's arms, but there was a noise from down the hall, trying to wake her up. She tried to ignore it. That is, until there was a loud crash. It woke the both of them up in shock, but once their minds were working again, they realized it could have come from only one place. The younger sister was up on her feet in a heartbeat and she ran down the hall. Seisshiro met her at the door and they both wandered in.

"Subaru?!"

The room was an absolute mess! A potted plant was knocked over in the corner, the bed was a mess of sheets, the glass of water Hokuto had placed on the desk was now shattered on the floor, and the window was open wide. Part of it was broken. Subaru was nowhere to be found.

"Oh my gosh… Did someone break in? Where is Subaru?" Hokuto called out to him, but received no reply. Seisshiro narrowed his eyes and went to examine the suspicious break in the window. Looking out, he didn't see a fire escape nearby, so it would not be an easy task for one to get in and out through there, especially since they were on the third floor, but then why did it look like there had been a struggle? He pulled his head back inside the room, but something on the side of the window that he could not ignore. Blood. There was blood on the pane, and some on the glass still in the frame, too. Hurriedly, he looked back out the window and down. Behind him, Hokuto was practically in tears.

"Where could he be…?"

"Hokuto, get your coat!" That's all he said as he rushed out of the room. The poor, frightened girl didn't want to argue with such a serious tone, so she did as she was told and walked outside the apartment complex with him. It was both confusing and startling that he led her to the side of the building, into the alleyway and stopped by a pile of garbage bags. It was directly beneath Subaru's window, and Hokuto didn't want to think about why it mattered. It's not like she could think anything else, however, as she saw Seisshiro kneel down to examine a dark stain on the concrete directly in front of the bags.

"Oh, Subaru…"

"Looks like he went out the window, and, hopefully, landed on these bags. Since he's not here now, he must have kept walking, somewhere."

"Why is he bleeding?"

"He could have cut himself as he fell… but with his head as messed up as it is right now, I can't tell for certain."

"You think he was delusional?"

"…I don't know." Seisshiro stood up and looked around for a clue or a trace of where the boy may have gone. Even in the dark, a few drops of blood were visible, and he started running.

"Hokuto stay there!"

"! Seisshiro!" She sobbed. "Please help Subaru!"

Seisshiro didn't need to be told that.


	3. Chapter 3

Before he'd even realized it, Subaru was walking. He had no idea where his feet were taking him or why, but he knew he couldn't stop. It was very dark and quiet all around him… There were only a few people passing by on the streets, but they didn't pay him any mind. It was like they weren't really there! Or maybe… maybe he was the one who wasn't real. Where was he? It looked like his neighborhood, but it felt so much more depressing and isolated. Was this…?

As he turned his head, he saw nothing but closed doors, extinguished lights, and even the stray animals were running away from him. This place… it smelled of blood! All around him was the smell of blood and decay… but until he came to a small shop, he didn't know why. He turned his head only slightly, but the sight he saw still sent waves of shivers and nausea through him. The sight before him was dark, hunched, cut and bloody… it was him. The bags under his eyes were deep as rainclouds, almost unnatural looking with the deep flush on his cheeks. There was blood splattered on his face, but he didn't know from where… until he looked down at his arm. He'd been holding it tightly the entire time, his grip gradually getting tighter, but he could hardly feel it. His shirt was ragged, with holes and slits in it. And when he looked at his left arm… it was dangling at his side with a large gash in it- bleeding profusely. He tried to move it, but it wouldn't budge, and it hurt worse than anything he'd ever felt.

'Oh…' he thought to himself as his tired eyes widened into large saucers. It was almost like… his arm wasn't there at all! Not there. Suddenly, his head hurt, and Subaru shut his eyes to wait the pain out. He nearly fell over… and when he opened his eyes again, he couldn't see his left arm anymore.

"It's gone… gone… My arm is gone…"



He spoke in a hushed but desperate tone, trying to feel his arm, but his fingers were numb… it wasn't there… it really wasn't there! As if it were happening against his will, he found himself moving again, continuing to walk the streets in a fog, muttering those words over and over again. Again, he passed a few people, but none of them seemed to see him at all. Who could ignore a young teen wandering the streets covered in blood? Unless… was he even…?

That was the first time the thought came to his head. What if he was dead? Was he a ghost, or was this place, the one he thought he knew, not even real? Maybe he was wandering in the valley of the dead. It made sense… he was bleeding an unnatural amount but hadn't collapsed, and nobody could seem to see or hear him. …It was sad. He never thought he'd die at such a young age, and if he did, he'd thought it would be in some glamorous battle with a demon… Hokuto. Oh, what would Hokuto do? She would be so sad for him… and Seishiro, too! He'd miss them… but what could he do?

Slowly but surely, he could feel the last of his strength fading away, and it was suddenly becoming far harder to keep his eyes open and continue walking! He wanted to rest… he was so tired… Did he even care much that he was dead? He was without his left arm! What good could he do now…? He was willing to continue believing that. It was startling to feel a jolt, as if the ground had stopped and then started again. Where was he…? He groaned as he gripped his arm tighter. He was fading…. And he wanted to. But, before his eyes closed all the way, he heard something. It was faint, low, far away… who was it? Closer… closer… Who…?

…

"Subaru!!"

--

Seishiro was running so fast, so hard, but in his mind, he questioned how far he was going. Subaru was ill, and probably wounded badly- how could he possibly go so far in such a short amount of time?! Still, he was confident, following the bloodstains on the sidewalk. A few times, he stopped to ask people walking down the street if they'd seen him, but none of them had. He cursed them silently as he continued running.

But wait… when did he start caring? Sure, he'd known Subaru for a long time, and he had plans for the boy later on… but was that why he was trying so hard? Or did he actually to start to CARE about the boy? Well… as he thought about the boy's smile, his quirks, and his amazing resolve and strength… he decided. Who couldn't love such a boy? Regardless of his reasons, he had to find Subaru. Who knew what he could get himself into when he was so ill. … Seishiro had to wonder, though, WHY he was ill. He'd suddenly come down with it when the older man had come for him in the bay area.

He didn't have time to continue his musings, however, as a familiar form started to come into view. Subaru had his back to him, walking as if he were a zombie. It was hard to see, so Seishiro yelled out to him.

"Subaru!!" At his yell, the boy stopped. He didn't turn around right away, almost as if he didn't know what was happening around him. Seishiro might have thought the boy was ignoring him, had he not noticed the blood running freely down his left arm. He thought about calling out again as he stood a ways away from the sidewalk that separated them; but sure enough, the boy did turn, and showed his 

long-time friend the damage that had been done. His face had drying splatters of blood on it, his clothes were torn and matted, and his left arm was a complete mess! It was just hanging there, as if it didn't belong, cut deeply and bleeding. However, the thing that startled Seishiro the most was the look of horror and exhaustion sketched out on the boy's face.

"Gone…. It's gone…" Seishiro didn't understand what he meant, so he took a step towards him and tried to calm him down.

"Now, now, Subaru… it's all right. I'm here to bring you back!"

"Gone, gone…"

"Subaru? …You know you I am? It's me, Seishiro! Remember?" Tere was a pause.

"Sei..."

"That's right. I'm your friend. Just come on over here and I'll take you home- to Hokuto! You remember her, don't you? Your twin sister!"

"Hokuto…"

"That's right. She's very worried about you, Subaru… So come here. I'll bring you back!" And he held out his hand. But he was amazed when Subaru shook his head and lifted his bleary eyes to stare almost lifelessly at him.

"Can't go back…My arm is gone…"

Before Seishiro could think of a response, a bright light soon came into view from his left, followed by a loud horn. 'Oh my God' Seishiro thought to himself, seeing the big truck speed into view- and Subaru was standing in the street! He could try to tell the boy to move out of the way, but he didn't even seem to know it was coming, anyway, and the way he was swaying… The truck blared its horn a few 

more times, and just feet away, Subaru's eyes started to fall closed, his body falling with it. In a last-ditch effort, Seishiro dove and tackled the boy out of the way. The truck was so close he could smell the paint on it as it whipped past them and skid to a halt nearby.

Seishiro's heart was beating so fast… he'd never done something to reckless before- usually he would just use his magic in situations that were so dangerous- so why didn't he? The man concluded that he hadn't been thinking rationally before looking down at his lap. He had Subaru wrapped tightly in his arms, getting blood on his suit, but that didn't matter. Although… Subaru's eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving.

"Subaru… Are you all right? Subaru?" No response. So he shook him. "Subaru? Subaru, open your eyes! Subaru!" When he still received no response, he gently set the boy down on the road and checked his vitals. Breath was fading from his lips and he couldn't feel Subaru's heartbeat.

"No… Don't do this…!"

"Hey!" The truck driver called. "Are you two all right? Should I call and ambulance?"

"Please do! And hurry!"

The truck driver went off in a hurry and panic started to weave itself through Seishiro. But, if he wanted to keep Subaru with him until the ambulance arrived, he couldn't afford to panic. After quickly removing his jacket, vettraiend doctor positioned his hands on the small boy's chest and started compressions.



"Subaru don't give up. You're stronger than this, I know it! Don't give up… and don't make Hokuto cry! Come on… Subaru!!"


	4. Chapter 4

On that day, more than most others, Hokuto cursed how slow taxis were. She urged the driver to drive faster, ignore traffic lights and do whatever he could to get to the hospital as quickly as he could, but he mostly ignored her and obeyed traffic laws. Once they arrived, she gave him a lousy tip and ran inside, almost tripping over herself. When she got to the front desk, she was heaving so hard she couldn't get a word out. Not only that, but the receptionist was looking at her as if she was seeing double. Still, Hokuto took a few deep breaths and tried to speak, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I-I got a call from a friend about my brother! Do you know where he-"

"Hokuto!" The worried girl whipped her head to the side and saw Seishiro coming around the corner. Wasting no time, she abandoned the speechless girl at the counter and threw herself at Seishiro, gripping his arms tightly as he tried to comfort her.

"Seishiro, how is he? How is my brother? Is he okay?!"

"Hokuto, calm down… Breathe."

"I don't want to breathe! I just want to know if my brother is okay!" The tears started to break loose, and Seishiro calmly pulled her to his chest, sympathetically.

"Hokuto, he's okay… He was pretty banged up when I found him, but the doctors have been working on him. He'll pull through, I'm sure…"

"But, the doctors," she started to say, still crying but a bit calmer, "do they know Subaru is allergic to penicillin?"

"I told them. No need to worry. Subaru is getting the best care, I promise."



Once Seishiro had her calmed down, the two of them sat and waited for Subaru to come out of surgery, and then for him to be moved into a recovery room. Although, Hokuto was nearly a wreak when the doctor told them they could see him. She was holding onto Seishiro's hand to tight both their fists were white. Once they reached the right room and looked in, however, she calmed just slightly at seeing her twin in one piece. The awful beeping of the heart monitor echoed through the room and the look of all those IVs and tubes sticking out of her brother made Hokuto feel so badly. There was an oxygen mask over her brother's mouth, there was a tight bandage about his head, and his entire left arm was wrapped up and put in a sling.

"Oh, Subaru…" More tears spilled from her eyes as she left Seishiro's side and ran to her brother, nearly collapsing onto his chest while hugging his good hand. "Subaru, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left you all alone! If I'd stayed with you, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt, and…" That wasn't right, and Seishiro knew it. He walked over and patted her had.

"Hokuto, what a thing to say… Neither of us knew this would happen. It just did. You're not responsible for this… and Subaru would say the same thing!" Looking back at him, Hokuto blinked, wiped her eyes, and lightly smiled.

"Okay, Seishiro… But," she started, looking back down at her poor brother, "What happened to him? His poor arm…"

"According to the doctor, his left shoulder was probably the main impact point of the fall, and when he hit the ground, it dislocated it. His wrist fractured next. He's sustained a slight concussion both from the fall and nearly getting hit by that car, but he'll pull through."

"I'm glad… Oh, Subaru…" she cooed, stroking his cheek lightly, "What's happening to you, brother?"



Seishiro was just as curious. Never before had he witnessed 'zombie walking' quite like that before. He had a thought earlier that evening, starting with the bay area… that was where 'Project 5' was being carried out. Subaru had battled that man, and had been doing fairly well, until he was caught off guard. Seishiro had been watching from the shadows almost the whole time, but still… Why would Subaru fall sick directly after being attacked? Subaru was usually reckless on the job, but he always came out of it just fine. What made this case different? Seishiro looked down at the panting boy as the fever wracked his lithe body. But, as Hokuto petted his arm and try to soothe him, Seishiro noticed something he hadn't before. Subaru's mouth was moving.

He often saw Subaru talk in his sleep, and over the past three days, he remembered seeing Subaru look as if he was talking, but no words came out. Maybe, though… just maybe… Seishiro stepped to the other side of the bed, Hokuto looked up to him. it was alarming for her when she saw the older man lift the oxygen mask away from the boy's face, making the boy wheeze.

"Say it again, Subaru."

"S-Seishiro, what are you doing? Subaru will-"

"It's important, Hokuto. I think he's trying to tell us something!" That silenced her for the time being, and Seishiro knelt down close to the boy's face. Subaru was really breathing hard without the help from the mask, but still, he tried to speak. He moved his lips, unconsciously trying to say it again, but again it came out to soft.

"Well…?"

"I couldn't hear. Come on, Subaru. One more time, as loud as you can…!" Seishiro closed his eyes and concentrated on the flow of words coming from Subaru's mouth. He was actually startled by what he heard.



"…No… K-Kuni…"

"! Kuni?"

"Eh? Miss Aso's dog? Why is he talking about that?"  
"Kuni…"

"_Can't go back… my arm is gone…"_

"Ah! That's it!" Seishiro's exclamation startled Hoktuko, and even more as the older man started searching around the bandages on Subaru's injured arm. The boy winced and groaned but Seishiro didn't stop until he found what he was looking for. Hotuko curiously stood on her tiptoes to look over at what he'd found; they appeared to be bite marks. Seishiro didn't like the look of them, all dark and swelled, so he turned back to Subaru. A little forcefully, he slammed his hands down on either side of the boy's head, who was still gasping and writhing lightly due to the fever and maybe something else. But Seishiro wasn't just going to brush it all off.

"Subaru."

"T-tired…"

"No, Subaru, you can't go to sleep yet! I need you to talk to me!" Slowly but surely, Subaru's eyes opened partway. They were so cloudy and heavy.

"Subaru, tell me about this bite mark on your arm."

"Bite… mark…"

"Yes. The one here on your left arm! When did you get this?"

"….Don't… can't…. tired…"



"Yes you can, Subaru! Talk to me! When were you bitten?" After that, all they got, however, was incoherent mumbling. That was, until the boy's heart monitor started going crazy! Not only was Subaru's heart rate increasing, but the machine, itself, was starting to buzz and spark. Seishiro pulled Hotuko out of the way as doctors started rushing in to try and fix the problem. Subaru didn't open his eyes after that, and he had gone deeper into unconsciousness into a coma-like state. None of the doctors could figure out why, but Seishiro knew. He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't deny it any further.

"Subaru… has been cursed."


End file.
